ゴミ
gomi[ɡo̞mʲi]
The Japanese word for "trash" is ゴミ (gomi).
ゴミ refers to things that are to be discarded. You may also see the word written in Hiragana as ごみ, which is also very common.
Meaning: things to be discarded (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun ゴミ出し refers specifically to the act of putting the trash out for collection. If you want to refer to a trash can, you can use the word ゴミ箱, which is a compound of ゴミ (trash) and 箱 (box).
How do you pronounce it?
gomi
Did you know?
- While 'trash' is the general term, Japanese culture places extreme importance on the specific 'rules' of how to categorize and sort your ゴミ.
- The word ゴミ can be used metaphorically in the phrase ゴミのような to describe something completely worthless or a person of low status.
- Another possible origin is the word コミ, which refers to 'flooding', implying the word describes waste dispersed in floodwaters.
Examples in context
- ゴミ出したよ。I took out the trash.This sentence is useful for saying that you have taken out the ゴミ.Tatoeba #10516158 by small_snow, translation #5938404 by CK
- ゴミ出しといて。Take out the trash.This sentence is useful for asking someone to take out the ゴミ.Tatoeba #9314793 by small_snow, translation #1860576 by CK
- ゴミ箱は空っぽだ。The trash can is empty.This sentence is useful for stating that the trash can (containing ゴミ) is empty.Tatoeba #12725741 by small_snow, translation #10819672 by ddnktr
- この袋にゴミを入れてください。Please put the trash in this bag.
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren are cleaning up their apartment.
- 美咲 Misakiこのゴミ、どうすればいい？Kono gomi, dou sureba ii?What should I do with this trash?
- 蓮 Renそれは燃えないゴミだよ。Sore wa moenai gomi da yo.That is non-burnable trash.
- 美咲 Misaki分別の仕方を教えて。Bunbetsu no shikata o oshiete.Please teach me how to sort it.
- 蓮 Ren分厚い本は燃えないゴミだよ。Atsui hon wa moenai gomi da yo.Thick books are non-burnable trash.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ゴミ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ゴミ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
